The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical tap connectors and, more particularly, to a tap connector assembly for coaxial cable networks.
One expanding use for electrical tap connectors is in the field of premises wiring. Premises wiring typically carries voice, electronic data, and/or electrical power over one or more electrical conductors and/or one or more optical fibers gathered together in a communications cable network. Workstations situated at various locations in the same building or in separate buildings are linked to the cable network by tap connectors; and the network, in turn, links the workstations to one another to receive or transmit data carried by the network.
The communications cable may take various forms. For example, the cable may comprise a twisted pair cable containing insulated wires that are spirally twisted together in pairs. Alternatively, the cable may comprise a coaxial cable containing one or more insulated conductors surrounded by a cylindrical, conductive sheath. Optical fiber cables may also contain a sheath surrounding the optical fibers within the cable to provide the cable with physical strength and to provide a shield to protect the fibers. Such a sheath may be electrically conductive to provide for a ground electrical potential along the sheath and along the length of the cable.
Tap connectors for coaxial cable networks were frequently relatively difficult to install and required special tools and skills for proper installation. In addition, many coaxial tap connectors were not effective in maintaining the integrity of the overall network when the connectors were not in use or when external apparatus was being plugged into or disconnected from the network.